Wargaming Miscellany

Gazelle-class
The surviving six ships of the Gazelle-class were retained by the Reichsmarine.

The Gazelle-class as built.

When built, the Gazelle-class’s characteristics were:

• Displacement: 2,706 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 344ft 6in (105m)
• Beam: 40ft 8in (12.4m)
• Draught: 17ft 6in (5.38m)
• Propulsion: 2 triple-expansion steam engines, both of which drove a propeller
• Speed: 21.5 knots
• Range: 4,400 nautical miles
• Complement: 14 officers and 256 enlisted men
• Armament: 10 x 4.1in (105mm) SK L/40 guns (10 x 1) and 2 × 17.7in (450mm) torpedo tubes (2 x 1)
• Armor: Deck: 0.8in to 1in (20mm to 25mm)

Service histories
Arcona had been converted into was a minelayer capable of carrying 200 mines in 1911/12, and was acting as a coastal defence ship when the First World War ended. She served with the fleet from 1921 to 1923, and after a period laid up, she was stricken in 1931 and used as an accommodation ship at Wilhelmshaven, Swinemunde, and Kiel. In 1942 she was converted into a floating AA battery (Flak ship), and was armed with 5 x 4.1in (105mm) AA guns, 2 x 37mm AA guns, and 4 x 20mm AA guns. (This armament was later increased.) She was scuttled on 3rd May 1945 and finally scrapped between finally scrapped in 1948/49.

Medusa had had her armament reduced to 6 x 4.1in (105mm) guns in 1916 whilst she acted as a tender to SMS Konig Wilhem. She served with the fleet from 1920 to 1924, and after a period laid up, she was stricken in 1927 and used as an accommodation ship at Wilehlmshaven. In 1942 she was converted into a floating AA battery (Flak ship), and was armed with 5 x 4.1in (105mm) AA guns, 2 x 37mm AA guns, and 4 x 20mm AA guns. (This armament was later increased.) She was scuttled on 3rd May 1945 and finally scrapped between 1948 and 1950.

Arcona and Medusa as rebuilt for service as Flak ships.

Amazone had been disarmed in 1916, and served as an accommodation ship in Kiel until she was rearmed and refitted in 1921/23 at Wilhelmshaven for service with the fleet. Her ram bow was replaced by raked bow, which improved and modernised her appearance. She was stricken in 1931, and became an accommodation ship in Kiel. After the war she was used to house displaced persons. She was finally scrapped in Hamburg in 1954.

Thetis had been rearmed with more modern guns in 1917 to serve as a gunnery training ship. She was stricken in 1929 and scrapped in Hamburg in 1930.

Nymphe had been disarmed by 1916 and was serving as an accommodation and drill ship in Kiel. She was rearmed and refitted in 1923/24 at Wilhelmshaven for service with the fleet. Like Amazone, her former ram bow was replaced by a raked bow. She was stricken in 1931 and scrapped in Hamburg in 1932.

Niobe had been disarmed by 1916 and was serving as an accommodation and headquarters ship at Wilhelmshaven. In 1925 she was stricken, and sold to Yugoslavia. She was rebuilt, rearmed, and renamed Dalmacija, and served with the Yugoslav Navy until she was captured by the Italians. She was renamed Cattaro, but when Italy capitulated, she was taken over by the Kriegsmarine and renamed Niobe. On 22nd December 1943 she was torpedoed in the Adriatic by Royal Navy MTBs, and subsequently sank.

Dalmacija (the former German Niobe) was extensively rebuilt so that she could be used as a training cruiser by the Yugoslav Navy. She was captured by the Italians after the invasion of Yugoslavia, and renamed Cattaro (the Italian name for Kotor). When the Italians capitulated, she was seized by the Germans ... who renamed her Niobe.

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Bremen-class
Two of the surviving ships of the Bremen-class were retained by the Reichsmarine.

The Bremen-class as built.

When built, the Bremen-class’s characteristics were:

• Displacement: 3,737 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 364ft 6in (111.1m)
• Beam: 43ft 8in (13.3m)
• Draught: 18ft 2in (5.53m)
• Propulsion: 2 triple-expansion steam engines, both of which drove a propeller
• Speed: 22 knots
• Range: 4,270 nautical miles
• Complement: 14 officers and 274 enlisted men
• Armament: 10 x 4.1in (105mm) SK L/40 guns (10 x 1) and 2 × 17.7in (450mm) torpedo tubes (2 x 1)
• Armor: Deck: 3.1in (80mm)

Service histories
Hamburg served as an accommodation ship in Wilhelmshaven for the Flag Officer, Submarines until the end of the First World War. In 1925 – after being laid up since the end of the war – she was refitted and rearmed with 8 x 4.1in (105mm) (8 x 1) and 2 × 21in (533mm) torpedo tubes (2 x 1) for fleet service. She served as a training cruiser from 1926 to 1927 before being stricken in 1931. She again became an accommodation ship for submarine crews, this time in Kiel. In 1944 she moved to Hamburg, where she was bombed and sunk. She was later raised and scrapped in 1956.

Berlin served at Jutland but 1917 she has been reassigned to duty as a coastal defence ship. In 1921/23 – after being laid up since the end of the war – she was rebuilt at Wilhelmshaven with a new raked bow in place of her original ram bow, refitted, and rearmed with 8 x 4.1in (105mm) (8 x 1) and 2 × 19.7in (500mm) torpedo tubes (2 x 1) for fleet service. She served as a training cruiser from 1923 to 1927 before being stricken in 1935. She then served as an accommodation ship at Kiel until the end of the Second World War, and in 1947 she was loaded was loaded with chemical weapons and scuttled in the Skagerrak.

Zähringen
Zähringen was the only member of the Wittelsbach-class to be retained by the Reichsmarine.*

Zähringen as built.

When built, Zähringen's characteristics were:

• Displacement: 12,798 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 416ft 0in (126.8m)
• Beam: 74ft 10in (22.8m)
• Draught: 26ft 1in (7.95m)
• Propulsion: 12 cylindrical boilers powering 3 triple-expansion steam engines, each of which drove a propeller
• Speed: 18 knots
• Range: 5,000 nautical miles at 10 knots
• Complement: 30 officers and 650 enlisted men
• Armament: 4 x 9.4 in (240mm) guns (40 cal.) (2 x 2), 18 × 5.9 in (150mm) SK L/40 guns (18 x 1); 12 × 3.5 in (88mm) SK L/30 guns (12 x 1); and 6 × 17.7in (450mm) torpedo tubes (6 x 1)
• Armour: Belt: 3.9 to 8.9 in (100mm to 225mm); Turrets: 9.8 in (250mm); Deck: 2.0 in 50mm; Conning tower: 10 in (250mm)

Service history
Zähringen had been withdrawn from service in 1916, and became a drill ship at Kiel. In 1917 she became a stoker’s training ship. At the time when the treaty came into effect, she was retained by the Reichmarine for auxiliary purposes. From 1926 to 1928 she was converted into a radio-controlled target ship, and she used as such until she was sunk in Gotenhafen/Gdynia harbour by Allied bombers on 18th December 1944. She was raised, and then expended as a blockship at the entrance of the harbour on 26th March 1945. She was scrapped in situ from 1949 to 1950.

Zähringen as rebuilt a radio-controlled target ship.

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Braunschweig-class
Five ships of the Braunschweig-class were retained by the Reichsmarine.

Braunschweig-class as built.

When built, the Braunschweig-class’s characteristics were:

• Displacement: 13,208 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 419ft (127.7m)
• Beam: 72ft 10in (22.2m)
• Draught: 26ft 9in (8.16m)
• Propulsion: 14 boilers powering 3 triple-expansion steam engines, each of which drove a propeller
• Speed: 18 knots
• Range: 5,200 nautical miles at 10 knots
• Complement: 35 officers and 708 enlisted men
• Armament: 4 x 11in (280mm) SK L/40 guns (2 x 2); 14 × 6.7in (170mm) guns (14 x 1); 14 × 3.5 in (88mm) guns (14 x 1); and 6 × 17.7in (450mm) torpedo tubes (6 x 1)
• Armor: Belt: 9.8in (250mm); Turrets: 9.8in (250mm); Deck: 1.6in (40mm); Conning tower: 12in (300mm)

Service histories
Braunschweig had been withdrawn from service in 1916, disarmed, and had served as a drill ship and later an accommodation ship at Kiel. In 1921/22 she was refitted at Wilhelmshaven and rearmed (4 x 11in (280mm) (2 x 2); 12 × 6.7in (170mm) guns (12 x 1); 4 × 3.5 in (88mm) anti-aircraft guns (4 x 1); and 2 × 21in (533mm) torpedo tubes (2 x 1)). From 1922 until 1926 she served as the flagship of the Marinestation der Nordsee (North Sea Naval Station) and later the Linienschiffsdivision (Battleship Division). She was in reserve from 1926 until she was withdrawn from service in 1931, stricken, and hulked.

Elsass had been withdrawn from service in 1916, disarmed, and had served as a drill ship and later an accommodation ship at Kiel. In 1923/24 she was refitted at Wilhelmshaven and rearmed (4 x 11in (280mm) (2 x 2); 10 × 6.7in (170mm) guns (10 x 1); 4 × 3.5 in (88mm) anti-aircraft guns (4 x 1); and 4 × 21in (533mm) torpedo tubes (4 x 1)). She was withdrawn from service in 1931, stricken, and hulked.

Hessen had been disarmed in 1916 and served as a tender at Brunsbuttel. In 1923/25 she was refitted at Wilhelmshaven and rearmed (4 x 11in (280mm) (2 x 2); 14 × 6.7in (170mm) guns (14 x 1); 4 × 3.5 in (88mm) anti-aircraft guns (4 x 1); and 4 × 21in (533mm) torpedo tubes (4 x 1)). In 1931 she was disarmed and converted into a radio-controlled target ship. Most of the existing superstructure was removed as was her armament, and the old propulsion machinery was replaced by steam turbines. She served in this role (and as an occasional icebreaker in the Baltic) until the end of World War II. She was then handed over to the Russians, renamed Tsel, and served in the Russian Navy as a target ship until she was scrapped in the 1960s.

Hessen as rebuilt as a radio-controlled target ship.

Lothringen served as a guardship in Sound in 1916, and in 1917 had 4 x 6.7in (170mm) guns removed, and became a drill ship and engineers training ship in Wilhelmshaven. She was disarmed in 1918 and converted into a depot ship for motor minesweepers (F-boats). She was stricken in 1931. (A 200ft section of the centre of the ship was retained for explosive trials at Wilhemshaven It was nicknamed Vierkant (Rectangle), and was bombed and sunk in April 1945. The wreck was subsequently raised and broke up.).

Preussen served as a guardship in Sound in 1916. She was disarmed in 1917 and converted into a depot ship for motor minesweepers (F-boats). She was stricken in 1931.

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Deutschland-class
Three ships of the Deutschland-class were retained by the Reichsmarine.

Deutschland-class as built.

When built, the Deutschland-class’s characteristics were:

• Displacement: 13,200 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 418ft 8in (127.6m)
• Beam: 72ft 10in (22.2m)
• Draught: 26ft 11in (8.21m)
• Propulsion: 12 boilers powering 3 triple-expansion steam engines, each of which drove a propeller
• Speed: 18.5 knots
• Range: 4,800 nautical miles at 10 knots
• Complement: 35 officers and 708 enlisted men
• Armament: 4 x 11in (280mm) SK L/40 guns (2 x 2); 14 × 6.7in (170mm) guns (14 x 1); 22 × 3.5 in (88mm) guns (22 x 1); and 6 × 17.7in (450mm) torpedo tubes (6 x 1)
• Armor: Belt: 3.9in to 9.4in (100mm to 250mm); Turrets: 11in (280mm); Deck: 1.6in (40mm); Conning tower: 12in (300mm)

Service histories
Hannover fought at Jutland, and in 1917 became guardship in Sound. In 1920/21 she was refitted at Wilhelmshaven for service as Fleet Flagship in the Baltic. She moved to Kiel in 1922, and ceased to act as Flagship in 1923. She allocated to the North Sea Station in 1925, and decommissioned into Reserve in 1927. After some minor alterations she was recommissioned in 1930 and decommissioned in late 1931. After another period in reserve, she was stricken in 1936 and consideration was given for her to be converted into a radio-controlled target ship for aircraft. Her hull was retained as a hulk, and she was scrapped in Bremerhaven between 1944 and 1946.

Schleswig-Holstein fought at Jutland, and in 1917 she was a tender in Bremen. In 1918 she became an accommodation ship in Kiel, and in 1925/27 she was refitted in Wilhelmshaven. This included having her forward two funnels trunked together) and having her 6.7in (170mm) guns replaced by 5.9in (150mm) guns. She served as Fleet Flagship in 1926 but by 1935 she serving as a cadet training ship with a considerably reduced armament as most of her 5.9in (150mm) guns, 3.5in (88mm) guns, and her torpedo tubes had been removed. In 1939 she took part in the attack on Poland (she bombarded the Polish fortress at Westerplatte. The following year she took part in the invasion of Denmark, and henceforth served in various roles in the Baltic (e.g. acting as an icebreaker). In mid-1944 her anti-aircraft armament was strengthened so that she could be used as an air defence ship in the port of Gotenhafen/Gdynia. In December 1944 she was attacked by RAF bombers and sank in shallow water, but her guns were still able to operate. She was eventually set on fire by her crew when they were ordered to evacuate the area, and she was scrapped in situ between 1950 and 1956.

Schleswig-Holstein as a training ship during the Second World War. Schlesien was similar in outline, but the trunking on the foremost funnel was not as pronounced.

Schlesien fought at Jutland, and in 1917 she was a drill and accommodation ship in Kiel. In 1918 she became a cadet training ship, and in 1926/27 she was refitted (this included having her forward two funnels trunked together) and partially rearmed (her 6.7in (170mm) guns were replaced by 5.9in (150mm) guns) for further service. By 1936 she had been re-boilered and was serving as a cadet training ship with a considerably reduced armament as most of her 5.9in (150mm) guns, 3.5in (88mm) guns, and her torpedo tubes had been removed. In 1940 she took part in the invasion of Norway, and henceforth served in various roles in the Baltic (e.g. acting as an icebreaker). In mid-1944 her anti-aircraft armament was strengthened so that she could be used as an air defence ship in the port of Gotenhafen/Gdynia. In March 1945 she provided fire support for German troops in the vicinity of Gotenhafen/Gdynia, and during the following month she moved to Swinemünde to restock her ammunition and to evacuate 1,000 wounded soldiers from the front. On 3rd May she struck a mine outside Swinemünde, and was scuttled on the following day. She sank in shallow water, and was broken up in situ from 1949 to 1953.

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* Wittelsbach and Schwaben of the Wittelsbach-class were disarmed in 1918 and converted into a depot ships for motor minesweepers (F-boats). Neither was ever intended to be recommissioned as a warship. Both were sold in 1921, and scrapped in Wilhelmshaven and Kiel respectively.

Sue Laflin-Barker is not as well known as her husband, but deserves to be recognised as an excellent designer of wargames. Her recent book - PIRATES! SMUGGLERS! ROBBERS! - is proof of this, and I can assure anyone who has not come across it, that it is well worth getting hold of a copy.


The book is subtitled A SELECTION OF AFTER-DINNER GAMES because they were designed to be played at COW in the slot after dinner on Saturday night when conference attendees are looking for something a little lighthearted or different to do, and Sue's games certainly fit the bill.

The book contains a number of chapters.

• Chapter One: The Quest for Redbeard's Treasure
• Introduction
• DBAix Rules
• Creating your own game
• Three-player DBA
• Chapter Two: Watch the wall
• Making the game
• The Rules
• Chapter Three: Gentlemen go by
• Introduction
• Setting up the game
• Playing the game
• Chapter Four: Ancient British cattle raid
• Introduction

The joy of these games is that they can be set up relatively quickly, and played to a conclusion in well under two hours. Furthermore, they will appeal to people who are not necessarily wargamers or fantasy gamers. After all, who could resist a game that involves Asterix the Gaul, pirates or smugglers!

The book only costs £5.00, and can be bought from Lulu.com via the following link: PIRATES! SMUGGLERS! ROBBERS!.

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PIRATES! SMUGGLERS! ROBBERS!: A SELECTION OF AFTER-DINNER GAMES was written by Sue Laflin-Barker and published by her 2016 (ISBN 978 1 326 57114 6).

Bearing in mind my recent interest in the German armed forces in the immediate aftermath of the Armistice and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, buying a copy of Osprey's Armies of the Baltic Independence Wars 1918-20 seemed to make a lot of sense. Elements of the 'Black' Reichswehr* were involved in some of the fighting.


The contents of the book covers:

• Background to the Baltic Independence Wars
• Red Army
• Organisation
• The Red Army’s Baltic Campaigns
• Estonian War of Independence (28th November 1918 – 2nd February 1920
• Latvian War of Independence (1st December 1918 – 11th August 1920)
• Lithuanian-Bolshevik War (12th December 1918 – 12th July 1920)
• Estonia
• Estonian People’s Army
• Organisation
• Uniforms and Insignia, Rank Insignia, Branch and Unit Distinctions, and Equipment and Weapons
• Estonia’s Allies: Baltic Germans, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Ingria, and Sweden
• Estonian Independence War (22nd November 1918 – 2nd February 1919
• The Great Retreat (November – December 1918)
• Reorganisation and Counterattack (November 1918 – February 1919)
• Failed Red Army Offensive (February – May 1919)
• Incursions into Russia and Latvia (May – June 1919)
• The Landswehr Campaign (May – June 1919)
• Defending the Borders (July – August 1919)
• Second advance into Russia (October – November 1919)
• The Last Battles (November – December 1919)
• Conclusion
• Latvia
• Latvian Army
• Organisation
• Uniforms and Insignia, Rank Insignia, and Branch Distinctions
• Latvia Independence War (1st December 1918 – 11th August 1920)
• Uncertain Beginning
• Southern Front (January – March 1919)
• The Landswehr Campaign (April – July 1919)
• Northern Front (January – July 1919)
• Final Campaigns (October 1919 – July 1920)
• Lithuania
• Lithuanian Army
• Organisation
• Uniforms and Insignia, Rank Insignia, and Branch Distinctions
• Lithuanian Independence Wars (12th December 1918 – 29th November 1920)
• Lithuanian – Bolshevik War (12th December 1918 – 12th July 1920)
• Lithuanian – Bermontian War (26th July – 15th December 1919)
• Polish – Lithuanian War (April 1919 – 29th November 1920)
• Germany and the Baltic
• Organisation: Ober Ost, VI Reserve Corps (Freikorps) and the Baltic Landswehr
• White Russian Forces
• Organisation: Pskov Volunteer Corps/Northern Corps, Northern/North-Western Army, and Western Volunteer Army
• Orders of Battle for the Russian Red Army, the Estonian People's Army, the Latvian Army, the Lithuanian Army, the German forces in Baltic, and the White Russian Army
• Rank Insignia Charts for the Estonian, Latvian & Lithuanian armies, and German Baltic Defence Force
• Colour Uniform Plates

This was a very confused period of history, and the authors have done their best to clarify what happened when ... and why it happened. I would strongly advise any reader to have a copy of a map of the area to hand whilst reading this book (I photocopied the map in the front of the book!) as it will make events much easier to follow.

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*The 'Black' Reichswehr (German: Schwarze Reichswehr) was the name given to the extra-legal para-military formations and Freikorps supported and equipped by the German Reichsheer during the period of German history known as the Weimar Republic. They were raised in contravention of the restrictions imposed by the Versailles Treaty, but served a useful purpose in protecting the eastern borders during the unrest after the end of the First World War. The members of the 'Black' Reichswehr were usually ultra-patriotic and supported right-wing, authoritarian political movements, and some were involved in politically motivated acts of violence (including murders and bombings) and took part in the Kapp Putsch and the Beer Hall Putsch.

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ARMIES OF THE BALTIC INDEPENDENCE WARS 1918-20 was written by Toomas Boltowsy and Nigel Thomas, illustrated by Johnny Shumate, and published by Osprey Publishing in 2019 (ISBN 978 1 4278 3077 7).

As laid down in the Treaty of Versailles, the new German Navy or Reichsmarine was restricted to:

• 6 battleships of the Deutschland or Lothringen type;
• 6 light cruisers;
• 12 destroyers;
• 12 torpedo boats;
• or an equal number of ships constructed to replace them as provided in Article 190.

The battleships were all pre-dreadnoughts and unable to fight modern dreadnought battleships, although they were a match for most powerful of the ships operated by potential enemy navies in the Baltic (i.e. Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland but not the new Soviet Navy). The light cruisers were mostly so obsolete that many of them had been inactive during most of the First World War, and the destroyers and torpedo boats were also obsolete, and could not be classed as being up-to-date.

It soon became obvious that in order to field even such a small force, the Reichsmarine would need to create a reserve of ships. The Allies eventually agreed to this on 4th May 1920, and German was allowed to retain an additional two battleships, two light cruisers, four destroyers, and four torpedo boats 'in reserve' (i.e. fully armed but with no ammunition, crews, or provisions kept aboard).

As will be gathered, many of the ships retained by the Reichsmarine were obsolete and worn out. The sheer number of minesweepers that they were allowed to retain indicates the size of the mine clearing operations that the Reichsmarine had to undertake in the immediate aftermath of the signing of the treaty. What is more surprising is how many of these ships were still in service in minor and auxiliary roles twenty years later when the Second World War broke out.

The Treat of Versailles laid down very specific limitations on the new German Army or Reichsheer.

Under the terms of the treaty, the Reichsheer comprised:

• Seven infantry divisions, and
• Three cavalry divisions

These were split into two commands:

• Army Corps Headquarters 1 at Berlin supervised:
• 1st Division (Königsberg)
• 2nd Division (Stettin)
• 3rd Division (Berlin)
• 4th Division (Dresden)
• 1st Cavalry Division (Frankfurt an der Oder)
• 2nd Cavalry Division (Breslau)
• Army Corps Headquarter 2 at Kassel supervised:
• 5th Division (Stuttgart)
• 6th Division (Münster)
• 7th Division (Munich)
• 3rd Cavalry Division (Weimar)

The treaty also laid down how the divisions were to be organised and their strengths.

Army Corps Headquarters Staffs (x 2)

Establishment of an Infantry Division (x 7)

• Each Infantry Regiment was comprised of three Infantry Battalions, each of three Infantry Companies and a Machine Gun Company
• The Field Artillery Regiment was comprised of three Artillery Groups, each of three Artillery Batteries
• The Pioneer Battalion was comprised of two Pioneer Companies, a Pontoon Detachment, and a Searchlight Detachment
• The Divisional Signals was comprised of a telephone Detachment, a Listening Section, and a Carrier Pidgeon Section

Establishment of a Cavalry Division (x 3)

• Each Cavalry Regiment was comprised of four Cavalry Squadrons
• The Horse Artillery Group was comprised of three Horse Artillery Batteries

The treaty also laid down the authorised numbers of each type of weapon that could be held in Army stocks, along with the maximum number of rounds.


Looking at the above, I was struck by how the Reichsheer could provide the basis for a small, interbellum imagi-nations army, especially for anyone fighting a small-scale campaign.

The Reichswehr flag.

Section III. Air Clauses
Article 198

The armed forces of Germany must not include any military or naval air forces.

Germany may, during a period not extending beyond 1 October 1919, maintain a maximum number of one hundred seaplanes or flying boats, which shall be exclusively employed in searching for submarine mines, shall be furnished with the necessary equipment for this purpose, and shall in no case carry arms, munitions or bombs of any nature whatever.

In addition to the engines installed in the seaplanes or flying boats above mentioned, one spare engine may be provided for each engine of each of these craft.

No dirigible shall be kept.

Article 199

Within two months from the coming into force of the present Treaty the personnel of air forces on the rolls of the German land and sea forces shall be demobilised. Up to 1 October 1919, however, Germany may keep and maintain a total number of one thousand men, including officers, for the whole of the cadres and personnel, flying and non-flying, of all formations and establishments.

Article 200

Until the complete evacuation of German territory by the Allied and Associated troops, the aircraft of the Allied and Associated Powers shall enjoy in Germany freedom of passage through the air, freedom of transit and of landing.

Article 201

During the six months following the coming into force of the present Treaty, the manufacture and importation of aircraft, parts of aircraft, engines for aircraft, and parts of engines for aircraft, shall be forbidden in all German territory.

Article 202

On the coming into force of the present Treaty, all military and naval aeronautical material, except the machines mentioned in the second and third paragraphs of Article 198, must be delivered to the Governments of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

Delivery must be effected at such places as the said Governments may select, and must be completed within three months.

In particular, this material will include all items under the following heads which are or have been in use or were designed for warlike purposes:

• Complete aeroplanes and seaplanes, as well as those being manufactured, repaired or assembled.
• Dirigibles able to take the air, being manufactured, repaired or assembled.
• Plant for the manufacture of hydrogen.
• Dirigible sheds and shelters of every kind for aircraft.

Pending their delivery, dirigibles will, at the expense of Germany, be maintained inflated with hydrogen; the plant for the manufacture of hydrogen, as well as the sheds for dirigibles may at the discretion of the said Powers, be left to Germany until the time when the dirigibles are handed over.

• Engines for aircraft.
• Nacelles and fuselages.
• Armament (guns, machine guns, light machine guns, bomb-dropping apparatus, torpedo-dropping apparatus, synchronisation apparatus, aiming apparatus).
• Munitions (cartridges, shells, bombs loaded or unloaded, stocks of explosives or of material for their manufacture).
• Instruments for use on aircraft.
• Wireless apparatus and photographic or cinematograph apparatus for use on aircraft.
• Component parts of any of the items under the preceding heads.

The material referred to above shall not be removed without special permission from the said Governments.

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Until I read the text of the treaty, I had not realised quite how draconian its terms actually were, nor the detail that was included. It is not difficult to understand why the Allies imposed such conditions upon their defeated enemy; likewise, it is not difficult to understand why these terms were so resented by the Germans.

Section II. Naval Clauses
Article 181
After the expiration of a period of two months from the coming into force of the present Treaty the German naval forces in commission must not exceed:

• 6 battleships of the Deutschland or Lothringen type;
• 6 light cruisers;
• 12 destroyers;
• 12 torpedo boats;
• or an equal number of ships constructed to replace them as provided in Article 190.

No submarines are to be included.

All other warships, except where there is provision to the contrary in the present Treaty, must be placed in reserve or devoted to commercial purposes.

Article 182

Until the completion of the minesweeping prescribed by Article 193 Germany will keep in commission such number of minesweeping vessels as may be fixed by the Governments of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

Article 183

After the expiration of a period of two months from the coming into force of the present Treaty, the total personnel of the German Navy, including the manning of the fleet, coast defences, signal stations, administration and other land services, must not exceed fifteen thousand, including officers and men of all grades and corps.

The total strength of officers and warrant officers must not exceed fifteen hundred.

Within two months from the coming into force of the present Treaty the personnel in excess of the above strength shall be demobilised.

No naval or military corps or reserve force in connection with the Navy may be organised in Germany without being included in the above strength.

Article 184

From the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty all the German surface warships which are not in German ports cease to belong to Germany, who renounces all rights over them.

Vessels which, in compliance with the Armistice of 11 November 1918, are now interned in the ports of the Allied and Associated Powers are declared to be finally surrendered.

(Note: This is the clause that led to the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow)

Vessels which are now interned in neutral ports will be there surrendered to the Governments of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers. The German Government must address a notification to that effect to the neutral Powers on the coming into force of the present Treaty.

Article 185 lists the names of warships that were not already interned and that were to be handed over to the Allies. The list contains the names of eight battleships and eight light cruisers as well as stipulating that forty-two modern destroyers and fifty modern torpedo boats (i.e. small destroyers) are also to be handed over.

Articles 186 and 187 concern themselves with the details of destruction of any warships currently under construction and the disarming of any armed merchant ships in German or neutral ports.

Article 188 deals with the disposal of submarines and their related equipment.

Article 189 prohibits the use of any parts of scrapped warships (including submarines) for anything other than purely industrial or commercial purposes.

Article 190

Germany is forbidden to construct or acquire any warships other than those intended to replace the units in commission provided for in Article 181 of the present Treaty.

The warships intended for replacement purposes as above shall not exceed the following displacement:

• Armoured ships: 10,000 tons
• Light cruisers: 6,000 tons
• Destroyers: 800 tons
• Torpedo boats: 200 tons

Except where a ship has been lost, units of the different classes shall only be replaced at the end of a period of twenty years in the case of battleships and cruisers, and fifteen years in the case of destroyers and torpedo boats, counting from the launching of the ship.

Article 191

The construction or acquisition of any submarine, even for commercial purposes, shall be forbidden in Germany.

Article 192

The warships in commission of the German fleet must have on board or in reserve only the allowance of arms, munitions and war material fixed by the Principal Allied and Associated Powers.

Within a month from the fixing of the quantities as above, arms, munitions and war material of all kinds, including mines and torpedoes, now in the hands of the German Government and in excess of the said quantities, shall be surrendered to the Governments of the said Powers at places to be indicated by them. Such arms, munitions and war material will be destroyed or rendered useless.

All other stocks, depots or reserves of arms, munitions or naval war material of all kinds are forbidden.

The manufacture of these articles in German territory for, and their export to, foreign countries shall be forbidden.

Article 193 concerns itself with the areas of sea that the new German Navy is responsible for clearing of any mines.

Article 194

The personnel of the German Navy shall be recruited entirely by voluntary engagements entered into for a minimum period of twenty-five consecutive years for officers and warrant officers; twelve consecutive years for petty officers and men.

The number engaged to replace those discharged for any reason before the expiration of their term of service must not exceed five percent per annum of the totals laid down in this Section (Article 183).

The personnel discharged from the Navy must not receive any kind of naval or military training or undertake any further service in the Navy or Army.

Officers belonging to the Germany Navy and not demobilised must engage to serve till the age of forty-five, unless discharged for sufficient reasons.

No officer or man of the German mercantile marine shall receive any training in the Navy.

Articles 195 to 197 concern themselves with the freedom of passage into the Baltic and the destruction of existing German coastal fortifications that might impede that passage as well as a ban on the construction of fortifications in the future, the maintenance of any purely defensive coastal defence fortifications that were permitted to be retained, and limitations on the use of high-power wireless telegraphy stations at Nauen, Hanover and Berlin for anything other than commercial purposes without the permission of the Allies.

Section I. Military Clauses
Chapter I. Effectives and Cadres of the German Army

Article 159

The German military forces shall be demobilised and reduced as prescribed hereinafter.

Article 160

(1) By a date which must not be later than 31st March 1920, the German Army must not comprise more than seven divisions of infantry and three divisions of cavalry.

After that date the total number of effectives in the Army of the States constituting Germany must not exceed one hundred thousand men, including officers and establishments of depots. The Army shall be devoted exclusively to the maintenance of order within the territory and to the control of the frontiers.

The total effective strength of officers, including the personnel of staffs, whatever their composition, must not exceed four thousand.

(2) Divisions and Army Corps headquarters staffs shall be organised in accordance with Table No. 1 annexed to this Section.

The number and strengths of the units of infantry, artillery, engineers, technical services and troops laid down in the aforesaid Table constitute maxima which must not be exceeded.

The following units may each have their own depot:

• An Infantry regiment;
• A Cavalry regiment;
• A regiment of Field Artillery;
• A battalion of Pioneers.

(3) The divisions must not be grouped under more than two army corps headquarters staffs.

The maintenance or formation of forces differently grouped or of other organisations for the command of troops or for preparation for war is forbidden.

The Great German General Staff and all similar organisations shall be dissolved and may not be reconstituted in any form.

The officers, or persons in the position of officers, in the Ministries of War in the different States in Germany and in the Administrations attached to them, must not exceed three hundred in number and are included in the maximum strength of four thousand laid down in the third sub-paragraph of paragraph (1) of this Article.

Articles 161 to 163 concern themselves with the numbers of civilian support staff, customs officers, forest guards, coastguards, gendarmes and employees or officials of the local or municipal police that can be recruited, a ban on them being given military training, and how the German Army will be reduced in strength to the levels laid down in Article 160.

Chapter II. Armament, Munitions and Material

Articles 164 to 172 relate to the numbers and types of weapons that the German Army may hold and have manufactured for their use.

Chapter III. Recruiting and Military Training

Article 173

Universal compulsory military service shall be abolished in Germany.

The German Army may only be constituted and recruited by means of voluntary enlistment.

Article 174

The period of enlistment for non-commissioned officers and privates must be twelve consecutive years.

The number of men discharged for any reason before the expiration of their term of enlistment must not exceed in any year five percent of the total effectives fixed by the second subparagraph of paragraph (1) of Article 160 of the present Treaty.

Article 175

The officers who are retained in the Army must undertake the obligation to serve in it up to the age of forty-five years at least.

Officers newly appointed must undertake to serve on the active list for twenty-five consecutive years at least.

Officers who have previously belonged to any formations whatever of the Army, and who are not retained in the units allowed to be maintained, must not take part in any military exercise whether theoretical or practical, and will not be under any military obligations whatever.

The number of officers discharged for any reason before the expiration of their term of service must not exceed in any year five percent of the total effectives of officers provided for in the third sub-paragraph of paragraph (1) of Article 160 of the present Treaty.

Articles 176 to 179 relate to the number of military academies and schools that are permitted, the ban on educational establishments, universities, societies of discharged soldiers, and shooting or touring clubs indulging in any form of military training, the ban on planning for mobilisation, and the prohibition of members of the German armed forces from serving abroad within or as trainers of foreign armies. (It is interesting to note that under the terms of the treaty, Germans were still permitted to join the French Foreign Legion!)

Article 180 concerns itself with dismantling of existing fortifications within fifty kilometres of the Rhine and a ban on the construction of new fortifications within that area. It is interesting to note that this ban did not extend to the southern and eastern frontiers of Germany, where fortifications were to 'be maintained in its existing state'.

... can sometimes lead us into new projects.

Just over one hundred years ago on 21st June 1919, a large part of the German Highs Seas Fleet was scuttled in Scapa Flow by the ships' crews. The ships had been interned there under the terms of the Armistice whilst negotiations as to the eventual fate of the ships took place. Due to poor communications, the German commander – Admiral Ludwig von Reuter – believed that the Allies were about to seize his ships, and ordered them to be scuttled. (In fact, the Armistice – which had been about to expire – had been extended so that negotiations could be concluded, but the German admiral had not been informed of this and had prepared his ships for scuttling to prevent their seizure.)

The scuttled SMS Hindenberg.

This topic came up over dinner at COW2019, and led on to a general discussion about the Treaty of Versailles and its effects on the German armed forces. No one seemed to be very clear as to the exact terms of the treaty, so when I returned home, I began to undertake some research ... and that research led me into a new project … the German Reichswehr after the Treaty of Versailes.

I began by looking at the exact text of the relevant sections of the treaty, which are contained in Part V. Military, Naval and Air Clauses (Arts. 159–213). I will be covering the text of these clauses over the next few days. Please note, that I will only quote what I consider to be the most relevant of the clauses and articles.

Archduke Piccolo has done it again! Having recently used my PORTABLE WARGAME rules to fight a 'hidden scenario' version of the Battle of Kut, he has now turned his attention to play-testing my PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME rules again, this time with a re-fight of the Battle of Quatre Bras.

Needless to say, he has come up with some very interesting suggestions for how the rules could be improved so that large-scale battles can be fought using them, and I recommend anyone wanting to do that to seriously consider adopting them.

As for the battle report ... well to me it read very much like the story of a real battle, with the ebb and flow first favouring one side and then the other. An very informative introduction to the re-fight (which includes the ORBATs) can be read here, whilst the full battle report (including suggested rule changes) can be read here.

The following photographs give a glimpse of some of the action.

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Please note that the photographs featured above are © Archduke Piccolo.

Fifty years ago today, I - and what seemed like the entire population of the UK - sat up into the early hours to watch the Moon Landing and the subsequent 'first step'.

The first step, as seen on TV across the world. My memory is that it was not that clear a picture, but that might have been due to the fact that I think that we watched it on an old 405-line monochrome TV and not one of the 'new' 625-line colour ones.*

It came only a relatively short time after the Cuban Missile Crisis had seen the world go to, and the pull back from, the brink of nuclear war, and President John F Kennedy had been assassinated. The landing seemed to be the beginning of a new age of optimism ... but within a few years interest in manned space exploration appeared to evaporate.

One wonders what our world might now be like if that initial enthusiasm had been maintained. Would the Cold War between East and West have persisted and taken on a new dimension in space, or would the world's nations come together to look outwards to explore our Solar system?

We'll never know what might have been ... but it looks as if manned space exploration beyond Earth's orbit might just be on the horizon. I do hope so ... and I'd love to sit up late again to see another human set foot on the Moon or possibly even Mars.

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* The UK TV systems were in the process of changing over from 405-line to 625-line analogue TV transmissions in 1969. It was not until November 1969 that the BBC and ITV stopped producing programmes in 405-line format, although they did continue to rebroadcast 625-line programmes in the old format for the benefit of viewers who still had old, monochrome TV receivers.

The demise of analogue TV transmissions in the UK in 2012 made the 'old' 625-line TV receivers redundant ... which means that anyone born after November 1998 (when the UK first began transmitting digital terrestrial TV signals) probably has no idea what I have been waffling on about!

I've always had a great interest in naval wargaming, and when John Curry announced that he was going to add THE UNITED STATES NAVAL WAR COLLEGE 1936 WARGAME RULES to the list of titles published by the 'History of Wargaming' Project, I just had to have a copy!


This is first volume of what will be a two-part series, and its contents include chapters entitled as follows:

• Acknowledgements
• Biographies of Editors
• Foreword by Read Admiral Jeffrey Hartley, USN
• Introduction
• The Training Value of the Wargame
• Summary of the Rules (1922)
• Maneuver Rules 1936
• Theory and Purpose of Fighting Strength Comparisons
• Section A: General Rules
• Section B: Conduct of Maneuver
• Section C: Speed and Fuel
• Section D: Visibility, Audibility and Smoke Screens
• Section E: Communications
• Section F: Gunfire
• Section G: Torpedo Fire
• Section H: Mines
• Section I: Submarines
• Section J: Aircraft
• Further Reading
• Appendix: Sample Fire Effect Tables (1935)
• Fire Effect Blue 16"/45
• Fire Effect Blue 8"/55
• Fire Effect Blue 5"/38
• Fire Effect Orange 16"/45
• Fire Effect Orange 8"/50
• Fire Effect Orange 5.1"/50
• Torpedo Fire Cards (1935, reprinted 1944)
• Appendix: Sample Fleet Data (1936)

This book is a positive cornucopia of information for anyone interested in naval warfare and naval wargaming from the period between the two World Wars ... and into the early 1940s. Even if you don't use the rules (which after a little practice are much quicker and easier to use than Fred Janes' and Fletcher Pratt's naval wargames ... even though the latter's rules were in some ways based on the rules in this book!), the book gives an insight into US Navy thinking. As Admiral Chester Nimitz said in 1950 of the per-war wargames at the US Naval War College

'The war with Japan had been re-enacted in the game rooms here by so many people and in so many different ways that nothing that happened during the war was a surprise — absolutely nothing except the kamikaze tactics towards the end of the war; we had not visualized those'.

Whilst the wargames did not actually predict how the war would be fought, they did give a whole generation of leading US Navy officers experience in working together, in sharing knowledge and understanding, in looking at complex problems and developing solutions to those problems, in making mistakes in a safe environment, and looking at any potential conflict from the perspective of their likely opponents (i.e. Orange in the games, who were – of course – the Japanese).

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in naval wargaming and the history of naval warfare.

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THE UNITED STATES NAVAL WAR COLLEGE 1936 WARGAME RULES: USN WARGAMING BEFORE WWII VOLUME 1 was edited by John Curry and Chris Carlson, and published in 2019 by The 'History of Wargaming' Project (ISBN 978 0 244 12872 2).

First, an apology.

Martin Smith posted his most recent American Civil War battle report on the PORTABLE WARGAME Facebook page back on 28th June, but I've only just managed to read it. In my defence, all I can say is that I have been very busy (a trip to Bristol, my wife's birthday, COW2019, and Madonic bits and pieces) and missed the notification Facebook sent to inform me that a new post had been added. I therefore must apologise to Martin for appearing to ignore his excellent battle report.

As can be seen for the following photographs, Martin used his magnificent 2mm-scale figures to fight this battle on a chessboard. The results are very impressive, and show just how portable the game is!

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Please note that the photographs featured above are © Martin Smith.

Since COW2019, I seem to have been up to my eyes writing about what happened (including my 'Carry On up the Nile!' battle report) and sorting out the bookings for COW2020. I've also been quite heavily involved in Masonic-related activities, including attending a meeting of the research lodge of which I am the Immediate Past Master, and visiting the small Hertfordshire Provincial Grand Lodge archives, library, and museum in St Albans with regard to a book that I am writing. As a result, the latest issue of this magazine has been sitting unread until last weekend.


The articles included in this issue are:

• Welcome (i.e. the editorial) by John Treadaway
• Forward observer
• Send three and fourpence: The keynote of everything to be simplicity: A co-operative D-Day scenario for Black Ops by Conrad Kinch
• First & Last: Battles of Tolkein's First Age by Graham Green of Greygreen Customs, with photographs by John Treadaway
• Men of Bronze: First impressions of the Osprey Rules for Hoplite Battles by David Tuck, with photographs by Malc Johnston
• Rugen Island: Swedish Pomerania: 1715 by Jon Sutherland, with photographs by Diane Sutherland
• Show Report: A Full Broadside: The Editor visits the Sittingbourne show with text and photographs by John Treadaway
• Darker Horizons
• Fantasy Facts
• The Great Expedition: Rules for Drake’s Raids in the New World 1585 to 1586 by Chris Swan, with photographs by John Treadaway
• Recce
• Wundermaske: The Editor investigates Panzer Putty ... with text and photographs by John Treadaway
• Tools of the trade: Load up your brush and dive in! We tackle a trinity of tints with a three-in-one review of Coat d'Arms, The Army Painter and Vallejo by James Winspear
• Combat Fatigue: Painting Wargames Atlantic's new Raumjager
• How To … build a fantasy house: Part Two: Grab your brush for some exterior decorating! with text and photographs by James Winspear
• Shuttle Diplomacy: Scratch-building an accurate 28mm Star Trek Shuttle with text and photographs by Tony Harwood
• Fifth Columnist: The continuing tales of a wargames widow with text and photographs by Diane Sutherland
• Club Directory

So, what did I think of this issue?

If the truth be told, not a lot. As I read it, I began to wonder if I was actually reading a wargames magazine as this issue seemed include a lot of fantasy and science fiction gaming. Ironically, the Darker Horizons section (which I understood is where the fantasy and science fiction articles are supposed to go) only contained Fantasy Facts, whereas in the rest of the magazine we find First & Last: Battles of Tolkein's First Age, How To … build a fantasy house: Part Two, Combat Fatigue: Painting Wargames Atlantic's new Raumjager, and Shuttle Diplomacy: Scratch-building an accurate 28mm Star Trek Shuttle.

In addition, there are two product reviews (Wundermaske and Tools of the trade) which whilst useful, might have been included in the Forward observer section of the magazine.

I am sure that there are plenty of people who would have enjoyed reading this issue because it covered areas of the hobby that interest them ... but regretfully, I am not one of them.

The terrain was set up before the players arrived. (Please note that the model boats are only present to indicate the approximate location at which they enter the battlefield.)

The battlefield, as seen from the west.

The battlefield as seen from the south.

The battlefield as seen from the north.

The battlefield as seen from the north-west.

Before the battle started, players had already signed up for the roles they wanted ... two of them well before the conference started!

The poster for the game (with apologies to the creator of the original poster for the film 'Khartoum').

On the night, I had two conference attendees who arrived just to watch, but rather than let them be passive observers, I roped them in to add an extra player to each side; Captain Keene (commanding the 3rd Foot and Mouth) and Bungdit Din (commanding the Bhurpa tribesmen).

Each player was allocated their troops, and after consulting with the other players on their side, the figures were placed on the terrain.

Whilst General Wolseley spread the bulk of his troops out to man the perimeter fortifications, retaining a small reserve, General Gordon concentrate his troops around the city of Khartoum to protect his headquarters and the river front.

The British defenders of Khartoum were spread around the fortifications, in the open between the fortification and the city, or in the city itself.

The British realised that the greatest threat came from the Mahdist forces massed near the easternmost gates, and deployed accordingly.

General Gordon felt that it was important to defend the waterfront 'just in case'.

The Mahdist troop under the command of the Mahdi and the Khalif massed near the eastern edge of the city's fortifications, whilst the Khasi placed his troops where they could intercept the relief column.

The Khasi's artillery. At one point the crews were driven off by British artillery fire from Khartoum, but they soon returned to their guns.

In order to randomise the order in which players presented their arguments for each turn, I shuffled a pack of playing cards before the game and at the beginning of each turn I dealt a card – face down – to each player. They then turned them over simultaneously, and arguments were presented with the lowest number going first, followed by the second lowest, and so on until each player had had their turn. If two cards with the same number were turned over, then the order of precedence was Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades. If a player was dealt a Joker, they could choose when they wanted to present their argument.

One further point; I told players that anyone who presented an argument that included a quote from a 'Carry On ... ' film (and especially 'Carry On up the Khyber') would improve the argument by one 'step' (e.g. from 'Weak' to 'Average'). I did – however – make one exception; anyone who used the expression 'Ooh, Matron' would be penalised!

Once the game began, it quickly developed into two separate actions, one by the river, and the other in and around the city.

The assault on Khartoum
The Mahdist troops attempted to demolish the eastern-most pair of gates with artillery fire. At first this proved to be ineffective, but gradually the gates were weakened and eventually a larger enough gap was blown in one of them from the Mahdist infantry to surge through them.

The initial Mahdist assault ... which was driven back by combined rifle, machine gun, and artillery fire.

The initial inrush was thrown back by gunfire from the defender's artillery and machine gun units, but further Mahdist artillery fire (and overshoots by the British artillery!) widened the existing gap and demolished the second gate, and overwhelming numbers of Mahdist infantry charged through the gates. Some concentrated on rushing the British artillery ...

The second Mahdist assault was far more successful, and overwhelmed many of the British defenders.

... whilst other moved into the centre of the city.

One part of the Mahdist force made its way into the city of Khartoum. General Gordon can be seen observing events from the roof of a building.

The end was inevitable, and as General Gordon walked slowly downstairs to his fate ...

Realising that death was inevitable, General Gordon went down to where the Mahdist mob was ... and was killed. His severed head was then placed on a spear and paraded through the streets. In the game, his ghostly influence lingered on because 'Gordon's is a strong spirit (!)'.

... General Wolseley pulled his troops back towards the western side of the city in the vain hope of rescue.

It did not come.

The defeat of the Relief Column
At the same time as the Mahdists were attempting to batter down the gates of Khartoum's fortifications, the Second Gordon Relief Column sailed into view from the north. Somewhat surprisingly, General Ruff-Diamond chose to sail down the narrower but shorter eastern branch of the river towards Khartoum.

As soon as they came into range of the Bhurpa-crewed field guns on the western bank of the River Nile, the leading boat – HM Gunboat El Tub – came under fire ... and she was holed and began to sink. Her captain swung her to starboard and ran her aground, stopping her from sinking but blocking the river at the same time.

Once the El Tub had been hit and breached to stop her sinking, the two British steamers came under fire from the Bhurpas.

HM Gunboat El Tub, with General Ruff-Diamond aboard.

The Bhurpas moved swiftly towards the stricken ship, and in the name of Shiva, the Khasi ordered them to board it and slaughter everyone the found aboard. General Ruff-Diamond, who was enjoying tiffin at the time, suddenly found himself at the mercy of a band of blood-thirsty Bhurpas. Not having his trusty Webley revolver to hand, he dived through an open window on the port side of the ship ... and into the Nile! He swiftly swam northwards, and despite being shot at by both the Bhurpas and some of his own men (he was dressed all in white, like the Mahdists), he managed to regain the shore just as Captain Keene ordered the 3rd Foot and Mouth to disembark and open fire on the Bhurpas.

With the El Tub firmly under their control, the Bhurpas came under fire from the 3rd Foot and Mouth, who had disembarked from the Thomas Cook.

In the confused fighting that followed, the Princess Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen-Anspach's Merther-Tydfilshire Own Royal Loyal Light Infantry (The Fore and Aft) lined the port side of the Thomas Cook and repeatedly fired at the lone figure of the Khasi, who managed to find the only tussock in the desert to hide in!

The Princess Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen-Anspach's Merther-Tydfilshire Own Royal Loyal Light Infantry (The Fore and Aft) line the upper deck of the Thomas Cook and blaze away at the Khasi, who can be seen lying down in cover.

Realising that Khartoum had fallen (the sight of Gordon's head on the end of a spear was enough proof of that fact), General Ruff-Diamond ordered the 3rd Foot and Mouth back aboard the Thomas Cook, which then made its way astern and back northward. He thought that by getting back to the nearest telegraph station in Anglo-Egyptian-controlled territory as quickly as possible, he could break the news of Gordon's death and make his own exploits sound more heroic than they actually were.

Unfortunately, General Ruff-Diamond had forgotten that a 'Daily Mail' journalist had accompanied his relief column, and their version of events would hit the newsstands at the same time his report was published. Little did he realise it, but his next posting was likely to be to the Cannibal Islands, where the British government hoped he would go down well with the natives.

The Khasi tried to make his way towards the Mahdi's tent, but having proved himself no more of a believer than the infidel British (he should never have called upon the assistance of Shiva!), he now became a target for his own Bhurpas! Like his erstwhile enemy, General Ruff-Diamond, he fled northward ... and into inevitable exile on an estate in East Anglia.

As to the fate of General Wolseley ... some months later he was to appear at an Anglo-Egyptian outpost, accompanied by a well-spoken 'native' who had rescued him. When asked his name, the 'native' had replied 'Harry Faversham'.

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As you may gather, this was a game full of incident and hilarity ... and I had no idea how many players would have an intimate knowledge of the 'Carry On ...' films. I had expected to hear 'Infamy ... Infamy ... they've all got it in for me!' (and it was used!), and thought that I might hear 'Frying tonight!', but the quotes from the medical doctor present seemed to indicate that his training must have included numerous viewings of the 'Carry On Nurse' (made in 1959), 'Carry On Doctor' (made in 1967), 'Carry On Again Doctor' (made in 1969), and 'Carry On Matron' (made in 1972)!

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Please note that the photographs featured above are © David Brock, David Crook, Mark Flanagan, and Bob Cordery.